Welcome to our Technical Information resources page where you will find articles that'll help you with your spring design or help you get around The Spring Store website by explaining what we offer and how it works.

Our design articles will help you discover things like how to measure your spring, how to calculate spring rate, and how to calculate your working loads based on your spring rate. Other articles talk about the prodcuts we have to offer as well as the tools provided on this site to help you find your springs fast or generate a custom spring instant quote. Click on a link under a subject you're interested in to learn more about that subject.

Technical Information Design Articles

Compression Spring Tech

Compression springs are also known as coil springs. They are open wound linear springs because they have the same amount of pitch between each one of the coils. Learn about their dimensions, specifications, and how they work.

Extension Spring Tech

Extension springs are also known as tension springs. They are close wound linear springs because there is initial tension keeping the coils together as to be pulled apart. Learn about their dimensions and how they work.

Torsional Spring Tech

Torsional springs are also known as torsion springs. They are close wound rotational springs with legs on the ends because they deflect radially under torque. Learn about their dimensions, specifications, and how they work.

Conical Spring Tech

Conical springs are also known as tapered springs. They are non-linear compression springs for they are open wound but have variable coil diameters. Learn about their dimensions, specifications, and how they work.

Spring Rate

Spring rate is the proportional amount of force per one unit of distance traveled. This is what makes compression and extension springs linear. Learn about the formulas, calculations, and how spring rate works.

Spring Design

Spring design is very extensive since there are several subjects to learn about per spring type. Below you can find general design information for the three main spring types; such as formulas and explanations on how everything works.

For the advanced search, you must select “Search More Fields”. Here you can enter:

Once you’ve entered your spring’s specifications, click “Search”.

After you have clicked “Search” on the Spring Finder, you will be directed to a page of results. The number of results you will get depends on the dimensions and ranges you entered. You can choose to view from fourteen to seventy results in one page and you can choose whether to view them in a table/list or side by side as products in grid format. Besides choosing the quantity of results you want to view, you can also organize them based on the specification of your choosing.

The following are the specifications you can select to organize your search:

Product Name

Price

Spring Finder Results in Table

Spring Finder Results in Grid View

After sorting the products in the order of your choosing, you can start looking through the list to decide which spring will work best. You can find the spring based on the maximum load or the maximum deflection. When you find the spring that meets your load and travel requirements, you can then check whether the spring rate meets your working loads. Furthermore, you can check pricing at different quantities by clicking on the Quick View icon.

If you still need help deciding select your springs and “Add to Compare” by clicking on the icon of two circles joined together on each product. This is to be able to compare them side by side in a more efficient manner. To enter the Compare Products page, find the link at the top of the page. Then, just quickly add them to your cart to complete your order. If you need further assistance finding your springs, you may contact our team of experts to help you out. Our engineers can help answer your questions and assist you in finding the correct spring for your application.

Extension Spring Finder

Find and buy stock extension springs in two easy steps using Spring Finder. This simple tool makes finding the stock tension spring you need a fast and productive task. Search through over 4,000 designs off the shelf.

The following simple steps will get you started:

When searching for a stock extension spring, you base your search on its parameters and tolerances. We do have thousands of springs in stock but, most likely, you will find springs similar to yours, not exact replicas. Spring Finder will allow you to search for your springs in both english and metric units. Initially, it gives you three parameters to search your spring by but gives you the opportunity to expand it into a more advanced search where you have more parameters to choose from.

In the basic search, you can enter:

outer diameter

length inside hooks

spring rate

Next to each dimension, you will see two input boxes where you can enter your max. and min. tolerances for that specific parameter.

To access the parameters in the advanced search, click on “Search More Fields” where the following dimensions will be available:

load

deflection (travel required)

initial tension

wire diameter

material type

The fields are not mandatory so you can choose whatever dimension you feel needed and click “Search” once you have done so.

After clicking “Search” on the Finder, you will be directed to a page of results. These results are displayed in a table/list as default but you can select to view them in a grid format where they will be shown side to side. The amount of results you get will depend on how many dimensions you entered and how tight or loose the tolerances are. Based on how many results you generate, you can also choose to show from fourteen to seventy products per page.

These are the specifications you can organize your extension springs by:

Part Number

Price

Outer Diameter

Length Inside Hooks

Rate

Max. Load

Max. Deflection (Max. Travel Required)

Initial Tension

Wire Diameter

Total Coils

Inner Diameter

Spring Finder Results in Table

Spring Finder Results in Grid View

After you have figured out how you want to display the results of your Spring Finder search, you can begin finding potential products based on the suggested max load and deflection/travel, as well as the spring rate. Select all of your potential springs and “Add to Compare”. Scroll to the top of the page once you have done so and click on “Compare Products” where they will be displayed side to side. Check out pricing at different quantities by clicking on “Quick View” or click on the part number to be directed to the product details page.

Having a hard time finding what you need? Feel free to contact our sales and engineering teams for help on design or finding your extension springs.

Torsion Spring Finder

Find and buy stock torsion springs in two easy steps using Spring Finder. This simple tool makes finding the stock torsion spring you need a fast and productive task. Search through about 1,000 designs off the shelf.

The following simple steps will get you started:

When searching for a stock torsion spring, you base your search on its parameters and tolerances. We do have hundreds of springs in stock but, most likely, you will find springs similar to yours, not exact replicas. Spring Finder will allow you to search for your springs in both english and metric units. Initially, it gives you three parameters to search your spring by but gives you the opportunity to expand it into a more advanced search where you have more parameters to choose from.

In the basic search, you can enter:

Wind Direction

Outer Diameter

Inner Diameter

Total Coils

Rate

Body Length

Next to each dimension, you will see two input boxes where you can enter your max. and min. tolerances for that specific parameter.

To access the parameters in the advanced search, click on “Search More Fields” where the following dimensions will be available:

Torque

Deflection (Degrees of Travel)

Wire Diameter

Leg Length

Material Type

The fields are not mandatory so you can choose whatever dimension you want and click “Search” once you have done so.

After clicking “Search” on the Finder, you will be directed to a page of results. These results are displayed in a table/list as default but you can select to view them in a grid format where they will be shown side to side. The amount of results you get will depend on how many dimensions you entered and how tight or loose the tolerances are. Based on how many results you generate, you can also choose to show from fourteen to seventy products per page.

These are the specifications you can organize your torsion springs by:

Part Number

Price

Outer Diameter

Inner Diameter

Total Coils

Rate

Body Length

Max. Torque

Max. Deflection (Degrees of Travel)

Wire Diameter

Leg Length

Mandrel Size

Spring Finder Results in Table

Spring Finder Results in Grid View

After you have figured out how you want to display the results of your Spring Finder search, you can begin finding potential products based on the suggested max load and deflection/travel, as well as the spring rate. Select all of your potential springs and “Add to Compare”. Scroll to the top of the page once you have done so and click on “Compare Products” where they will be displayed side to side. Check out pricing at different quantities by clicking on “Quick View” or click on the part number to be directed to the product details page.

Having a hard time finding what you need? Feel free to contact our sales and engineering teams for help on design or finding your torsion springs.

For the advanced search, you must select “Search More Fields”. Here you can enter:

Once you've entered your spring's specifications, click “Search”.

After you have clicked “Search” on the Spring Finder, you will be directed to a page of results. The number of results you will get depends on the dimensions and ranges you entered. You can choose to view from fourteen to two-hundred-and-eighty results in one page and you can choose whether to view them in a table/list or side by side as products in grid format. Besides choosing the quantity of results you want to view, you can also organize them based on the specification of your choosing.

The following are the specifications you can select to organize your search:

Price

Small Outer Diameter

Large Outer Diameter

Free Length

Rate

Total Coils

Solid Height

Wire Diameter

Inner Diameter

Spring Finder Results in Table

Spring Finder Results in Grid View

After sorting the products in the order of your choosing, you can start looking through the list to decide which spring will work best. You can find the spring based on the average rate or the most important dimensions to you. When you find the spring that meets your load and travel requirements, you can then check whether the spring rate meets your working loads. Furthermore, you can check pricing at different quantities by clicking on the Quick View icon.

If you still need help deciding select your springs and “Add to Compare” by clicking on the icon of two circles joined together on each product. This is to be able to compare them side by side in a more efficient manner. To enter the Compare Products page, find the link at the top of the page. Then, just quickly add them to your cart to complete your order. If you need further assistance finding your springs, you may contact our team of experts to help you out. Our engineers can help answer your questions and assist you in finding the correct spring for your application.

Compression Spring Calculator Instructions

Spring Creator is an advanced spring calculator tool. This spring calculator will calculate the force and elasticity when it comes to loads, rate and distance traveled. The following instructions will demonstrate how to use the Spring Creator tool as well as how its many features, like the availability of stock springs, will benefit your testing and prototyping phase.

Step 1.) Choose Your End Type

-Closed and Square Ends:

Most economical and commonly used type of coil compression spring ends. Unless your coil compression spring needs to meet certain requirements like having a shorter solid height, closed and squared ends are the best option. In most cases closed and squared ends will stand vertically straight.

-Closed and Ground Ends:

Additional manufacturing labor is required so this type of ends is not so economical but it is also a common type of coil compression spring end. It gives your coil spring more stability by helping it stand straight on a flat surface. This type of ends will be helpful in case your spring is too long in proportion with its outer diameter.

-Double Closed Ends:

Double closed ends are basically closed ends with another closed coil added to them. These are also used to provide stability with springs that have large outer diameters coupled with smaller wire diameters so the spring ends don’t overlap on top of each other when compressed. Double closed ends are more economical than closed and ground ends.

-Open Ends:

This type of ends is required when your need you spring to travel or compress down to a shorter solid height, making it beneficial to take the closed coils out. With this type of compression spring ends all coils are active and the spring will have to go over a shaft or inside a hole to be held in place.

Step 2.) Enter Your Spring Dimensions

This is where you actually input your compression spring dimensions. The dimensions required are wire diameter, outer diameter, free length, active coils, and a material type. Once you have filled these in, you may click on “Calculate” and receive the results for your coil spring design.

To calculate the number of active coils on your spring, you must subtract the number of closed coils from the number of total coils. For example, you have a spring with 8 total coils. If it has closed ends or closed and ground ends, you will subtract two coils from the 8 total coils and get a result of 6 active coils. On the other hand, if this spring has double closed ends, you will subtract 4 closed coils from the 8 total coils and get a result of 4 active coils.

Our coil compression spring calculator also provides you with various types of material or wire types. Material types have different tensile strengths and some are specifically used for certain requirements such as environments with high temperatures or with a certain level of moisture or corrosion. If your spring isn’t being placed in a harsh environment and you don’t need any special requirements, music wire is the best and most economical option.

Similar Stock Springs and Closest Stock Spring

As you design your compression spring, Spring Creator will search our extensive coil spring catalogue to determine if your spring is available for immediate purchase. We can also provide you with the closest spring in stock to aid in prototyping stages, saving you time and money.

Rates and Loads:

This is where you determine the strength of your spring. The coil spring rate will be highlighted in green since it is the “master” of your spring calculations. Rate determines how much load you will need in order to compress or travel down to your desired loaded height and vice versa. On the section above Rates and Loads, you will notice that you are provided with your design’s closest spring in stock and the spring rate is also highlighted in green. This is why it is the closest spring in stock, because it is the spring with the most common spring dimensions including spring rate. You will notice that you’re provided with two values, true maximum load and maximum load considering solid height. The difference between the two is that maximum load considering solid height is the maximum load of your current design and true maximum load is a possible load you can reach if you increase your coil compression spring’s free length.

Safe Travel:

This section provides you with information regarding how much you will be able to compress or deflect your coil compression spring. You are also provided with two different values here; true maximum travel and maximum travel considering solid height. Like load, maximum travel considering solid height is the travel you will get out of your current design while true maximum travel is the possible amount of travel your spring may achieve if you increase the coil spring’s free length.

Physical Dimensions:

You’ve already entered some of your spring’s physical dimensions in step 2 but here you are provided with some more thorough information regarding your spring’s physical dimensions. The dimensions provided are inner diameter, mean diameter, total coils, solid height, spring index, distance between coils (pitch), and the rise angle of coils. Mean diameter is the diameter in between your spring’s inner and outer diameters (from center of wire to center of wire) and it is used along with the wire diameter to calculate spring index. Spring index is the proportional ratio between your spring’s outer diameter and its wire diameter. This helps to determine the manufacturing difficulty of your spring. Total coils are the overall coils of your spring, active and non-active. Total coils is what helps to calculate the solid height of your spring which is the height of a coil spring when it is fully compressed and all the coils are touching. The pitch is the distance between your spring’s active coils uncompressed. The rise angle of coils is the diagonal angle your spring’s coiled wires form in order to provide that pitch.

Material Type:

This section simply provides the material type you chose your spring design to be made of.

Weights and Measures:

Here you are provided with the weight of the spring as well as how much wire your spring requires to be made. This section will help in the manufacturing phase of your coil compression spring as well as the shipping phase. You are provided with the weight of one spring, weight of one thousand springs, and length of wire required to make one spring.

Step 4.) Warnings and Helpful Tips

This section helps to warn give you specific warnings regarding your spring and tips on how to make adjustments so that you have a reliable spring design. You are also provided with our force chart in case you need your spring to be stronger or weaker. For more force, for example, you would have to make the outer diameter smaller, take some coils out, thicken the wire diameter, or add more travel by increasing the coil spring’s free length. To make your spring weaker, you would have to do the opposite; make the outer diameter larger, add some coils, thin out the wire diameter, or make less travel for your load by making the free length shorter. The warnings and tips (solutions) you might get are the following:

Warning: Your index is too small (below 4) which makes it difficult to manufacture.

Tip: In order to increase your index you will need to increase your outer diameter or decrease your wire diameter.

Warning: Your index is too large (above 15).

Tip: In order to decrease your index you will need to decrease your outer diameter or increase your wire diameter.

Warning: Your free length is less than or equal to your solid height.

Tip: You have entered a free length that is not possible based on your other inputs. To fix this, here are some options: increase the free length, decrease the number of coils, or decrease the wire size.

Warning: Your inputs have generated invalid or negative answers

Tip: Please adjust your inputs accordingly.

Warning: The force in L2 is less than the force in L1.

Tip: Your L2 must be greater than your L1. The formula for load is: rate * distance traveled = load. Thus if your distance for L2 is greater than L1, your load at L2 must be greater.

Warning: Your loaded height exceeds the maximum safe travel

Tip: If you need to travel a certain distance that takes you beyond the max safe travel, here are some options: increase huber of coils, increase outer diameter, or increase wire diameter.

Warning: Your load exceeds the max safe load.

Tip: If you need to reach a load that takes you beyond the max load, you ned to change your input values. Here are some options: increase the number of coils, increase outer diameter, or decrease wire diameter.

Warning: Your spring may buckle.

Tip: If your spring is not placed in a hole or over a shaft and has a free length divided by mean diameter greater than 4, you run the risk of the spring buckling while being compressed. To fix this problem here are some options: place the spring over a shaft or in a hole, increase the wire diameter, or shorten the free length.

Step 5.) Enter Your Working Loads

Choose a load that is within the limits of the minimum and maximum loads below. Once you choose a load or loaded height, the unknown value will be calculated automatically when you hit the tab key or click on calculate.

Note on load inputs: You must enter a load value that is within the “Possible Loads” list that is below the load inputs. If you enter a load value that’s NOT possible ( or beyond the Maximum Load Considering Solid Height) the calculator will display a “Red Thumbs Down” telling you that you’ve gone further than the “Maximum Load Considering Solid Height” listed on step 3. If you enter a possible load, the calculator will display a “Green Thumbs Up” Icon telling you the load value is possible. Also if you enter a loaded height within the “Maximum Travel Considering Solid Height” listed on step 3 and hit tab or calculate the calculator will display either a “Green Thumbs Up” if the loaded height is possible or a “Red Thumbs Down” if the loaded height is NOT possible. Please refer to your “Maximum Load Considering Solid Height” and “Maximum Travel Considering Solid Height” listed on step 3 for these values represent what your spring can achieve in load and Deflection (travel). Going beyond these values is not recommended because your coil spring will take a SET and NOT return to it’s original free length. You will also lose load on your spring or worse, you will cause breakage. If you need more travel add more coils, or make your outer diameter larger and increase your wire diameter.

Step 6.) Blueprints

Generate Blueprint:

Click this and you will get a real time blueprint of your exact spring design which is editable. You will have a complete spring blueprint ready for manufacture. The editable fields you can add to this blueprint are: Part Name, Part Number, Drawing #, Drawn By, Revision#, Tolerances, Approved By, Finish (plating) and Manufacturing Notes. Once you’ve edited your blueprint click “Update Blueprint” and all the fields that you edited will be updated and reflected on your blueprint.

Get a Quick Quote of Your Spring Design:

This feature lets you quickly send us a quotation. The spring blueprint will automatically be attached to the quote.

Email Design & Blueprints:

Once you are comfortable with your blueprint click on the “Email Design & Blueprints” and email the PDF blueprint directly to yourself, colleagues, and potential clients without leaving the Spring Creator App, increasing productivity and efficiency.

Similar Springs In Stock:

This link shows you similar springs and the closest spring in stock to your design that is ready for purchase. As you design your spring, Spring Creator will search our extensive spring catalogue to determine if your spring is available for immediate purchase. This will aid you in the prototyping and testing stages, saving you time and money.

We really appreciate you using “Spring Creator” we work to meet your spring design needs and to supply you with a complete and comprehensive spring calculator. If you need further assistance on designing your spring please give us a call @ 951-276-2777 we are here to help!

We welcome your comments or suggestions to make “Spring Creator” even better. Please email us at: support@thespringstore.com